Identifying device for documents



- Nov. 10, 1959 E. YHOUNG x IDENTIFYING DEVICE FOR DOCUMENTS} FiledFeb.21. 1958 PAY To BANK NATIONAL Afr'roRNEY Unimd 168 new and usefulidentifying bearing the signature of the This invention relates to adevice for use on documents person issuing or passing said document.

More specifically, the device is intended for use on checks, stockcertificates, wills, deeds, and other documents where the authenticityof the person signing the respective document may be questioned. Thedevice may prove particularly useful as a safeguard against fraud incases Where a person pretending to be the payee of a respective checkwill present the check in a store or some other establishment either toobtain cash or mechandise.

It is the object of this invention to eliminate such practices byproviding a small folder which may be quickly and readily applied to adocument or a negotiable paper such as a check, and on which the person,upon signing the document, will be required to leave the imprint of afinger.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a device which willbe adapted for immediate application, which will not add to the bulk ofthe document, and which will be economical in cost and yet fullypractical and efiective.

I shall now describe my device with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my ing applied to a document;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the device in which a part of one of itsleaflets is torn off,

Fig. 3 is a plan elevational view of a check, the view including myidentifying device, one leaf of which is attached to the underside ofthe check;

Fig. 4 is a plan elevational view of a portion of a'check and theidentifying device attached thereto, the view disclosing a leaf afiixe'dto the upper surface of the check, this being the leaf adapted toreceive a fingerprint;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal edge view of the check and the identifyingdevice connected thereto;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified species of said identifyingdevice.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The identifying device includes, as a principal element thereof, atwo-leaf folder made of a rectangular piece of paper. T o be made into afolder, the paper is folded upon itself midway its length to form twoleaves 10 and 11, which leaves are of the same size.

For the purpose of describing the leaves and the respective facesthereof, it will be assumed that the identifying device is lying on oneface so that the free ends of the two leaves are at left and the line offold is on the right. While the device is in this position, I shallfirst refer to leaf 10, the upper surface of which is marked 12. Thesurface is coated with an adhesive substance, preferably with awater-soluble adhesive substance such as a natural vegetable gum, ofwhich gum arabic may be an example. The surface of the leaf 11 on theside facing said leaf 10 is also coated with a similar adhesivesubstance, while the outer face 14 of the leaf 11 is device prior tobecally,

2,912,259 Patented Nov. 10, 1959 ice to fit over the whole upper surfaceof the leaf 11. The

cover includes an integrally-formed strip 16 which is glued to theunderside of said leaf 10.

One side of the cover, namely, side 17 facing the tacky surface of theleaf 11, is waxed in order that the cover, after having been appliedover the tacky surface 14, may be peeled off easily without roughing ordamaging said surface.

To facilitate lifting of the cover from said leaf 11, the cover mayinclude a tab or tongue 17a extending outwardly from the outer end ofsaid cover. This species of the cover is shown in Fig. 4.

A modified species of my identifying device is shown in Fig. 6. Thisspecies is also made of one oblong piece of paper folded along twoparallel lines to form a bot tom leaf, a top leaf, and an intermediateleaf, the leaves being attached in an end to end relation. Morespecifithe device includes a bottom leaf 2% which on its upper surfaceis covered With an adhesive substance for attachment to the undersurfaceof a check, a leaf 21 which is covered on the underside with an adhesivesubstance for attachment to the upper surface of the check,- and a topleaf 23 which serves as a cover analogous to cover 15. The top or outersurface of the cover 23 is free of any adhesive substance. The underside24 of the cover is covered with a relatively hard wax coating, while theupper face of the leaf 21 is provided with the same coating as that onface 14 of the leaf 11. It isthis leaf 21 which is adapted to receivethe imprint of a finger.

The manner in which the above-described devices are to be used is asfollows:

Prior to being used, the folder, with its cover, may be handled in itsclosed position with the two leaves 10 and 11 adhering to each other andthe cover adhering to the top surface 14 of the leaf 11.

Assuming that a check is to be signed and a record of the finger-printis to be taken for identification, the leaves 1% and 11 are first spreadapart. Next, the top surface of the leaf 10 is afiixed to-the undersideof the check at one end thereof, as shown in Fig. 3. If the adhesivesubstance on face 12 is soluble in water, it may be moistened in orderthat the surface may stick to the check. Next, the leaf 11 is turnedover the check and pressed manually against the upper face of the checkto cause said leaf 11 to adhere to the face of the check. Naturally, ifthe surface 13 of the leaf 11 is coated with a water-soluble adhesivesubstance, the substance would be first moistened.

Once the leaf 11 is in person issuing or endorsing the check will berequired to press the front end of a finger, on the side remote from thefingernail, against the tacky surface 14 in order to leave the print ofthe whorls upon said finger on said surface 14. Thereupon, the cover isfolded over the leaf 11 and lightly pressed against said surface 14 tillit sticks thereto.

If desirable, place a signature mat the person issuing said check mayalso least the initial letters thereof on the outer surface of thecover, as shown in Fig. 1.

The procedure with respect to the species shown in Fig. 6 is identical,with the exceptionthat the cover 23 is an integral part of the leaf 21which is to bear the imprint. 1

While in the two species of the invention described herein the surfaceadapted to receive the imprint of a finger is coated with a substancewhich, like the surface of the Scotch tape is somewhat sticky, it willbe understood that at least the central portion of said surface may beleft clear of such a substance to make it suitable place as shown inFig. 4, the

for reception of ink prints in the manner in which such prints areusually made for record. By this I mean that a separate ink pad may beused for the purpose of inking that area of the finger which is to bepressed against the surface on which the print is to be made.

Thus, the surface 14 in Fig. 4 may be left entirely free of said stickysurface, or it may be provided with but a marginal area covered withsuch substance in order that the cover may adhere thereto. The samepertains to the upper surface of leaf 21 in Fig. 6.

In conclusion, I Wish to add that for the purpose of identifying theestablishment in which the print Was taken, the folder or the cover ofthe device may carry the name and address of said establishment.

After having described my identifying device, What I which to claim isas follows:

1. A device to identify a person signing or passing a document, thedevice comprising a paper folder including a leaf adapted to be securedby adhesive means to the undersurface of the document, a leaf adapted tobe afixed by adhesive means to the upper surface of the 4,} document andhaving a top face covered with an oleoresinous substance and providingan area for reception of a fingerprint, and a sheet cover integrallyconnected to the last-named leaf and adapted to lie flat thereon, saidcover having a WZIX coating on the side adapted to face the printreceiving area, While the opposite face thereof offers a space forcontinuation of a signature appearing in part on the document itself.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 in which the leaf affixed to the uppersurface of the document is coated on its upper face With a Waterrepellant substance of 10W adhesive character for reception of afingerprint thereon.

References @Iited in the file of this patent UNETED STATES PATENTS891,505 Smith June 23, 1908 1,374,208 Jones Apr. 12, 1921 1,560,047Edwards Nov. 3, 1925 2,198,802 Brady Apr. 30, 1940 2,500,612 Krogh Mar.14, 1950 2,736,114 Krueger Feb. 28, 1956

